Richard C. Wandel Photographs
Provenance
The photographs of Richard C. Wandel were donated to The Center Archive by the photographer in 1998.
Scope and Content
This collection contains close to two thousand black and white negative strips with from three to six frames per strip. There are also color negatives, slides and prints (black and white and color). A great many of the photographs are of the New York City gay liberation movement, especially of the demonstrations of the Gay Activists Alliance, 1970-1972. The collection contains pictures of many of the important leaders of that time. also included are the actual wedding pictures of Liz Eden and John Wojtowicz. “the gay bank robber,” whose story was the basis for the film “Dog Day Afternoon”. Photographs of the New York Gay Pride Parade continue into the 1980’s. There are additional images from Wandel’s early days in the Passionist Monastery, and from his time in Bradford, Pennsylvania. This latter period (the late 1970s) is mostly landscapes, but some theatrical, portrait and still life photography is included. There are also some self-portraits from this period.As of this writing (1999) most of the images are only in negative form. The negatives are numbered and correspond to a complete numbered set of contact prints. In addition there are several hundred poor-quality work prints made by the photographer, and a smaller amount of good quality prints also made by him. As new prints are needed for researchers, they will be added to the collection. All prints and negatives are arranged in numerical order which is also roughly chronological. The entire collection is indexed on a computer database, available in the archive. This database gives access by personal names, events, and subjects.
History or Bio
Richard C. Wandel is a long time gay activist beginning with his membership in the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) in 1970. He served as President of that organization in 1972. He also held office in the Gay Alliance ofBrooklyn and in the New York Mattachine Society in the mid-1970s. Motivated by a desire to publicize the actions of GAA, he was a frequent contributor of photographs and articles to New York’s “Gay” newspaper, and more occasionally to the “Los Angeles Advocate.” A former Catholic seminarian with the Congregation of the Passion (Passionists), he began a detailed cataloging of his photographs while still in the seminary. After his involvement with GAA he spent five years in Bradford, PA before returning to New York City and to the gay movement. He was the founding archivist of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center National History Archive.
Folder List
Box 1
Folders 1-12: Negatives & transparencies
Box 2
Folders 13-20: Negatives & transparencies
Box 3
Folders 21-31: Prints. B/W 3×5, Color 4×6
Box 4
Folders 32-42: Prints. B/W 3×5, Color 4×6
Box 5
Folders 43-53: Prints. B/W 3×5, 5×7, 8×10
Box 6
Folders 54-66: Prints. B/W 3×5
Box 7
Folders 67-84: Prints. B/W 3×5, Color 4×6
Box 8
B/W 5×7, 8×10 Prints
85. #200 – 299 (1 of 3)
86. #200 – 299 (2 of 3)
87. #200 – 299 (3 of 3)
88. #300 – 399 (1 of 3)
89. #300 – 399 (2 of 3)
90. #300 – 399 (3 of 3)
91. #400 – 699 (1 of 3)
92. #400 – 699 (2 of 3)
93. #400 – 699 (3 of 3)
94. #700 – 999
95. #1000 – 1199
96. #1200 – 1299
97. #1300 – 1399 (1 of 2)
Box 9
B/W 8×10 Prints, B/W Contact Prints
98. #1300 – 1399 (2 of 2)
99. #1400 – 1499 (1 of 3)
100. #1400 – 1499 (2 of 3)
101. #1400 – 1499 (3 of 3)
102. #134 – 168, 171
103. #1500 – 1599
104. #1600 – 1699
105. #1700 – 1799
106. #1800 – 2000
107. #101 – 290)
108. #291 – 483
109. #484 – 687
Box 10
B/W Contact Prints
110. #628 – 780
111. #785 – 1464
112. #1092 – 1169
113. #1170 – 1264
114. #1265 – 1297
115. #1298 – 1351
116. #1352 – 1405
117. #1406 – 1458
118. #1465 – 1673
119. #1674 – 1806
120. #1807 – 1081